A Denison man faces up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm and silencer in a case with Pocahontas County connections.
37-year-old Ian Ward entered the guilty plea Tuesday in Sioux City Federal Court to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle, and one count of possession of silencers.
Evidence presented at a plea hearing showed that on August 21st of last year, Ward was found to be high on fentanyl following a traffic stop in Pocahontas County, and was in possession of six traditional firearms, including an illegal, short-barreled rifle, plus several full silencer/suppressor type devices. Methamphetamine,THC wax, and drug paraphernalia were also seized from Ward’s vehicle. Ward admitted to being a user of fentanyl, meth, and marijuana, and to a previous conviction for a felony drug offense in Minnesota. Ward was prohibited from possessing firearms due to being a felon and illegal user of drugs.
Ward faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on the prohibited possession of a firearm conviction, and faces up to ten years in prison on the two convictions of possession of illegal firearm/silencers. He could be fined as much as 260 thousand dollars.
The case was investigated by the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.
